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Test Prius PHEV Proves Too Hot

On June 7, 2008, one of the Toyota Prius’s in Central Electric Power Cooperative in Columbia, SC PHEV test program was destroyed by fire. The Prius was outfitted with the Hybrids-Plus PHEV15 conversion kit which uses A123 Li-ion battery packs. At this time, investigators have ruled out the batteries as having been the source of the fire, and fire officials are claiming that they performed well during the event and showed little damage.

The fire occurred during routine highway driving. The upholstery in the back seat appeared to have caught on fire. When noticed, the driver pulled over and exited the car. Unfortunately there was no data logger installed, so the exact cause of the fire may never be known.